logo
More than 30 killed in sectarian clashes in Syria's Sweida, interior ministry says

More than 30 killed in sectarian clashes in Syria's Sweida, interior ministry says

Reuters14-07-2025
AMMAN, July 13 (Reuters) - More than 30 people were killed and 100 injured in armed clashes in Syria's predominantly Druze city of Sweida, the Syrian interior ministry said early on Monday, in the latest bout of sectarian clashes.
The violence erupted after a wave of kidnappings, including the abduction of a Druze merchant on Friday on the highway linking Damascus to Sweida, witnesses said.
This is the first time sectarian fighting has erupted inside the city of Sweida itself, the provincial capital of the mostly Druze province.
Last April saw clashes between Sunni fighters and armed Druze residents of Jaramana, southeast of Damascus, which later spread to another district near the provincial capital.
"This cycle of violence has exploded in a terrifyng way and if it doesn't end we are heading toward to a bloodbath," said Rayan Marouf, a Druze researcher based in Sweida who runs the Suwayda24 website.
The clashes involving Bedouin tribal fighters and Druze militias were centered in Maqwas neighborhood east of Sweida, which is inhabited by Bedouin tribes, and was encircled by armed Druze groups and later seized.
The Syrian ministry of interior said that its forces will begin direct intervention in Sweida to resolve the conflict, calling on local parties in the Druze city to cooperate with the security forces.
Armed Bedouin tribesmen also launched attacks on Druze villages on the western and north outskirts of the city, residents said.
A medical source told Reuters that at least 15 bodies had been taken to the morgue at Sweida's state hospital. Around 50 people were injured, with some transported to Deraa city for medical care.
The violence marked the latest episode of sectarian bloodshed in Syria, where fears among minority groups have surged since Islamist-led rebels toppled President Bashar al-Assad in December, installing their own government and security forces.
Those concerns intensified following the killing of hundreds of Alawites in March, in apparent retaliation for an earlier attack carried out by Assad loyalists.
It was the deadliest sectarian flare-up in years in Syria, where a 14-year civil war ended last December with Assad fleeing to Russia after his government was overthrown by rebel forces.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Teenager who fatally stabbed man with rambo-style knife after drug deal found guilty of murder
Teenager who fatally stabbed man with rambo-style knife after drug deal found guilty of murder

The Independent

time2 hours ago

  • The Independent

Teenager who fatally stabbed man with rambo-style knife after drug deal found guilty of murder

A balaclava-clad teenager who had an 'unhealthy interest' in knives has been found guilty of the murder of an 18-year-old man. Charles Hartle, who was 17 at the time, grinned before fatally stabbing Noah Smedley through the heart with a Rambo-style knife. He carried out the 'utterly pointless killing' on a dark street in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, on the evening of December 28 last year, with the knife he kept hidden in his tracksuit bottoms. Hartle, of Station Road, Stanley, was found guilty of murdering Mr Smedley on Friday, after a two-week trial at Derby Crown Court, Derbyshire Police said. Prosecution counsel Adrian Langdale KC said that as Hartle moved towards Mr Smedley, he 'grinned or smiled before deliberately aiming for and stabbing him in the chest'. The court was told that Hartle and his friends had arranged to meet Mr Smedley, who arrived at the scene on an electric scooter and sold them cannabis. Mr Langdale said the defendant regularly carried a Rambo-style knife for 'the kudos and bravado' and to show others he was a 'big man'. Derbyshire Police said Hartle, who liked to go by the nickname Lil Cee, went to meet his girlfriend at a house party after stabbing Mr Smedley in the heart. Witnesses at the party reportedly saw him confess to her what he had done and produce the knife, which has never been recovered. Hartle then travelled to Derby city centre to distance himself from the scene, where Mr Smedley had been found by members of the public at about 8.20pm. He was pronounced dead just before 9pm. In the hours after the murder, Hartle disposed of his clothing, the knife, and his phone, before eventually handing himself in at Ilkeston police station. In a prepared statement given to police, Hartle said he accepted inflicting the injury on Mr Smedley but felt he had acted in self-defence. He said: 'There is a history to this, and Noah and I did not get on. He has, in the past, made numerous threats to me and made disparaging comments. He has threatened me with violence. 'I was petrified that he was about to lunge at me. In that split second, I instinctively lashed out with the knife I had, in self-defence.' Detective Constable Emma Barnes-Marriott, of Derbyshire Police, said: 'Noah was an unarmed teenager, who was simply meeting with friends on the night Charles Hartle decided to end his life. 'Noah did not threaten Hartle and showed nothing but friendliness towards him that evening, and yet he was brutally murdered. 'Charles Hartle is a callous and calculating young man, who has shown no recognition or remorse for taking another teenager's life. 'He carried a knife with the intention to use it, over what appears to be a petty disagreement that only he was aware of, and a sense of bravado. 'I'd like to thank Noah's family for their support during our investigation and the trial. 'No family should have to go through the ordeal of losing a loved one, especially at such a young age, and to have to relive their last moments at trial is an additional blow that Hartle could have spared them from. 'Instead, despite overwhelming evidence, he remained silent and refused to take responsibility for Noah's murder. 'I know that nothing will bring Noah back but hope that today's verdict has provided his family with some comfort that justice has been done.' Hartle will be sentenced at Derby Crown Court on August 22.

American Idol boss and her husband were in safety meeting with LAPD chief hours before their murder
American Idol boss and her husband were in safety meeting with LAPD chief hours before their murder

Daily Mail​

time2 hours ago

  • Daily Mail​

American Idol boss and her husband were in safety meeting with LAPD chief hours before their murder

American Idol music supervisor Robin Kaye and her musician husband attended a meeting with Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell hours before they were murdered in cold blood. The Daily Mail can reveal that the couple were at a Community-Police Advisory Board briefing on July 9 where senior LAPD officers - including McDonnell - faced residents concerned by the increase in violent crime in the upscale Encino neighborhood. The cops offered advice on how members of the community could protect themselves after a surge in break-ins and other lawlessness. The following day, Kaye and her husband Thomas DeLuca were shot execution-style in the head in their $4.5million home. They were gunned down by the callous intruder who used the victims' own weapon that they had for self-defense. Despite a 4pm call by a neighbor to 911 to report an intruder at the property on the same day, their bodies were not discovered at the gated mansion on White Oak Avenue until four days later on July 14 after frantic family members requested a welfare check. Suspect Raymond Boodarian was arrested by lawmen, with weapons drawn, the following day at the nearby rented Reseda townhome he shared with his mother and sister. The 22-year-old has been charged with two counts of murder and other offenses in relation to the deaths. The savage murders have horrified residents of LA, especially those who live in the same community where celebrities such as Machine Gun Kelly, Michael B. Jordan and Matt LeBlanc have homes. 'We just couldn't be more saddened and shocked at what has occurred in the neighborhood,' Rob Glushon, President of the Encino Property Owners Association, told the Daily Mail exclusively. Kaye, he said, regularly attended the association's monthly community zoom meetings on crime and other local issues and praised her as 'someone who wasn't just complaining about things, but was trying to do something about it.' He lauded her as a 'good neighbor' who 'believed in the mantra, if you see something, say something. 'When it comes to neighborhood protection, it actually doesn't start with the police - it starts with neighbors watching out for each other.' Glushon confirmed that Kaye and her husband, both aged 70, had attended the C-PAB branch meeting with the chief of police which was held at the local West Valley LAPD station in Reseda. A source, who met the couple for the first time at the meeting and sat at the same table with them for two hours, told the Daily Mail he was stunned to hear of their murders the following day. 'It's incredible,' he said. 'Beyond tragic. I could tell they were a lovely couple. They spoke movingly about their concerns about crime but also how much they loved the area.' With chilling happenstance, the event location at the police station was just half a mile north from Boodarian's home and the site of his arrest. Glushon also spoke of Kaye's fear after a previous break-in in May when an intruder entered the home when the couple was home but fled. He said 'she was concerned over what she had experienced, which was pretty scary.' Boodarian allegedly scaled a wall to get onto the property and entered the home through an unlocked door 30 minutes after the pair arrived home from grocery shopping. Prosecutors allege he placed a call to emergency services on his cell phone during the break-in at about 4.40pm. The dispatcher was told that someone had broken in and they could hear the caller say: 'Please don't shoot me!' The unidentified caller then told the operator that a police response was not required. Follow-up attempts to reach the caller by phone were unsuccessful. Police units and a helicopter surveyed the location but reported seeing no signs of a break-in or foul play. A spokesperson for the Los Angeles District Attorney confirmed to the Daily Mail 'that the suspect placed a 911 call and that the firearm involved in the homicide was registered to the victim.' Jennifer Forkish of the LAPD added: 'The first call came from a neighboring resident who reported a potential burglary in progress but was unable to be reached during attempts to follow up. 'The second call came later from an individual claiming to be a resident inside the location. The caller eventually advised that police response was not necessary and follow-up attempts to reach the caller were unsuccessful.' She added that responding units from West Valley Division and LAPD Air Support Division responded to both calls. 'Officers arrived on scene and conducted a check of the surrounding area and attempted to visually check the residence through the security gate. 'They attempted entry at two access points but both were locked and secured. The home was secured with surrounding walls. The Air Ship visually checked the location and advised there was no visible activity or evidence of break in. After taking additional steps to contact the persons reporting and residents at the location, officers cleared from the scene.' Despite assurances by law enforcement that crime has dropped in the Encino area following a 'huge uptick' break-ins last year, Glushon is not convinced. 'They will tell you that Encino is one of the safest areas in the city to live in,' he commented. 'They will tell you that crime in the West Valley and Encino is down from last year. They will say that burglaries in particular and any kind of home invasion is down. 'That's what they say. That's what the statistics say. 'We did get increased police resources and the burglaries went back to normal but now we have some homes being hit more than once in the same week.' Residents, especially now following the deaths of Kaye and Deluca, are scared. 'If you walk our neighborhood a majority of people do not feel safe,' explained Glushon. 'Compared with other cities and populations, we have the fewest number of police officers per capita. 'We are so deficient compared to Chicago, New York and other cities.' Boodarian is yet to enter a plea. His next court appearance is scheduled for August 20. He is currently being held without bail at the Twin Towers Correction Facility in downtown LA.

Our Claire was murdered by a stranger. Why does no one seem to care?
Our Claire was murdered by a stranger. Why does no one seem to care?

Times

time5 hours ago

  • Times

Our Claire was murdered by a stranger. Why does no one seem to care?

W hen the police community support officer Julia James was ambushed and beaten to death by a young stranger as she walked her dog in the Kent countryside, Claire Knights refused to be cowed. 'I spoke to her at length after Julia's tragic death,' Knights' sister Annie Watson recalls, 'and I asked her if she was worried about walking her dogs alone. Claire believed that we cannot live in fear of one man's actions. It should not stop us from being able to go out into the countryside, along footpaths and walk alone. She should have been safe and free to go and walk her dog, to enjoy the sunshine alone.' On August 23, 2023, two years after James' murder and only 30 miles away, Knights, 54, was set upon, sexually assaulted, beaten and murdered in an unprovoked, random attack by another young man. She was walking her dog home from the beach.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store